Professor Hwang Woo Suk and his team of researchers have cloned a dog. The British professor Ian Wilmut, who cloned the sheep "Dolly," says that it is the highest achievement in animal cloning, so there should be no need to make additional note of the significance of what Hwang has done. Together with monkeys, dogs have been considered the most difficult animals to clone. Dogs share some 65 varieties of disease with humans, such as diabetes and heart disease, so they have the potential to be very useful in research in incurable diseases. They say the technology could be used in bringing back animals that have gone extinct.
However, cutting edge technology such as the cloning of life becomes more dangerous as it becomes more refined. Therefore a society's cultural maturity is to be determined by how, thorough philosophical and ethical examination, the danger is removed and there is agreement on framework for public control. Technology can truly work for humanity and nature when there is such introspection. When the philosophical and ethical considerations are not made, technology puts commercial goals ahead of human use. Early this year an American company started cloning pet cats for $50,000 each. Since then pet cloning companies have been sprouting up all over the place. The Korean Ministry of Science & Technology is pushing to have cloning of animals for special uses by 2010.
Fortunately Hwang says he is not considering commercial applications, and that he only wants to use the technology in the development of cell treatment technologies and pharmaceuticals. One truly hopes he is not shaken by commercial temptations. It was a dark moment when he on one occasion mentioned the word "production" in the context of talking about animal disease models. Life is not produced. It is born. Life is differs from products that are produced and consumed. It is the subject of production and it fosters other life. Let us be sure to remember that life should be respected.
The Hankyoreh, 5 August 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Life is 'Born' not 'Produced' |
